Trembling all over, Lara nodded her head mutely. The aftershock of the sudden pain was tearing up at her nerve endings. Though she couldn’t process what was going on, she understood well enough to know that the Yetoid would not hesitate to activate the pain collar again, incapacitating her and even killing her in the process.
She shot a hurt look at the Narden again. His sculptured face was a thunderous mask and he refused to look back at her. Without a word, he strode across the open space and passed the Yetoid without a word. The Yetoid lumbered after him like a guard dog. He turned his head to the girl.
“Follow,” he ordered.
Her legs like water, Lara somehow managed to get back on her feet. She lurched after them, her mind reeling in panic, trying to make sense of what was going on. There was obvious some kind of mistake.
Surely, they realised she had come on a peaceful mission, to exchange knowledge and to strengthen ties between Earth and the Narden? There had obviously been a misunderstanding. If only she could make contact with the professor, he would straighten everything out.
Hoping that whoever these two were taking her to would know who she was, she trudged after them as they exited the empty spaceport through an oval shaped door. Beyond the door was a long glass corridor and Lara blinked against the pristine sun that glared through the glass.
As her eyes became accustomed to the light, she looked out through the walls of the corridor at the landscape below. Nardenstar was spread out in all its snowy glory, with deep white valleys, icy ravines and behemoth huge mountains thrusting upward into the sky. Lara soaked in the majesty of the landscape, wishing that she could enjoy it under more agreeable circumstances.
Looking forward, she focused on their destination, which was rising up at the end of the corridor. It was a vast structure of glistening white stone and glass, stretching upwards from its mountain perch for thousands of miles, terminating in a needle thin spire of scintillating blue ice.
Its grandeur took Lara’s breath away. She hadn’t realised the Narden were capable of producing works of such outstanding beauty.
It was a shame their manners were not as impeccable as their architecture, she thought sourly. She glared at the Yetoid’s squat back as they moved down the corridor, coming at last to a pair of large double doors flanked by two more armoured Yetoids, armed with laser halberds.
They stood stiffly to attention as the Narden in the lead approached, and opened the double doors to let him pass. They ignored the first Yetoid who had imprisoned her and openly sneered as Lara came through the doors behind the other two.
They came into a sweeping vestibule of white stone and the Narden picked up speed. The Yetoid followed suit, and Lara struggled to keep up. They seemed to walk for an age until they came at last to another pair of double doors cast in bronze. The Narden swept his hand over a sensor and the doors slid open.
He passed inside, and the Yetoid suddenly turned and grabbed Lara by the shoulder. His clawed fingers bit the flesh of her shoulder, and without a word he shoved her through the open doors before them.
Chapter 2: Cold Realities, Hot Passions
Lara was thrust into a magnificent chamber of white stone with a vast glass dome for a ceiling. The woman froze where she was, horrified at the cold stares directed her way by the occupants of the room.
There must have been over fifty people looking at her, Narden men and women, all tall, blonde and painfully good looking, dressed exquisitely in pristine white tunics and shimmering gowns. Each and every one of them radiated arrogance and power, and the hostility they directed towards her was like a wave of burning ferocity.
As she stood there trapped in their ruthless gaze, the Narden youth who had met her at the spaceport strode past the onlookers toward the far end of the chamber. The Yetoid’s furry hand suddenly shoved her in the back making her stumble. A nasty chuckle went up from the watching Narden.
“Get moving,” the Yetoid hissed in her ear, his stale breath lapping over her skin. “Keep your eyes on the ground, and don’t speak until you’re spoken to or we’re both dead!”
Lara wanted so much to demand what was going on, but the savagery in his tone kept her mouth clamped shut. His whole demeanour was incredibly menacing but she could sense an undercurrent of overwhelming fear. It was clear the Narden were dangerous to both her and him.
Following the Yetoid’s instructions to the letter, she walked forward with her eyes on the blue flagstones that made up the floor. The Narden flanked either side of her, whispering and chuckling. She heard several bitchy remarks about her appearance, and Lara felt sick to her stomach. She hadn’t suffered this kind of humiliation since high school.
Risking a glance upwards, she saw that a dais was set up at the far end of the chamber upon which a stylised throne of silver rested. It sat directly below a huge snowflake ornament carved from blue crystal that was set into the wall. She was so absorbed by its exquisite workmanship, that she almost didn’t notice the man sitting on the throne.
When she did look at him, a fresh sense of dread went through her. He was an elderly Narden clad in a jewel studded blue robe. His long white hair was braided and a coronet of silver rested on his head.
Behind his thick beard his features were similar to the Narden man from the spaceport except that the older man’s eyes were cold and dead, lacking any emotion and empathy. Lara got the horrible feeling that her problems had only just begun.
“Is this it?” the man asked gruffly, looking at the Narden in red leather, who had taken up a position at the side of the throne.
The gorgeous young man nodded mutely. Maybe he couldn’t speak, Lara wondered.
The older man suddenly glared at her, his cold eyes slicing through her like a javelin. Lara immediately lowered her head as she had been instructed.
“I am not impressed,” the older man said, his voice dripping with contempt. She heard one of the Narden snigger behind her. “Is Belthazar mocking me? What was his message again, Granor?”
“The Professor offered the female to use as you wish, King Prius,” the Yetoid said respectfully. “He assures that you would not be disappointed.”
“He was wrong,” the older man, King Prius, snapped. “What does that old bastard think he is doing sending me this busty wench? Look how big her tits are, and those curves, so little aesthetic splendour in them. Does he not realise small breasts and a slender frame is the pinnacle of Narden female beauty? These Earthers are barbarians.”
Fury surged inside Lara at being spoken of as some kind of prize heifer at a cattle market. King or not, she wasn’t going to let anyone treat her so disrespectfully. “King Prius, there has been some mistake,” she said, looking up at him with as much boldness as she could muster. “I am not a gift. I am a representative of Science Base Odin. Professor Belthazar sent me here to learn more of your culture and technological advancements and I was to share knowledge about Earth and the research we are carrying out at the base. My name is Lara McClusky, and if you could just open a comm. channel to the base, I’m sure this misunderstanding can be sorted out.”
A frightening silence descended on the throne room. She heard the Yetoid, Granor, growl under his breath and the young Narden stood next to the King jerked his head up to look at her. There was something like shock, mingled with admiration, in his scintillating blue eyes.
King Prius’ gaze, on the other hand, was cold and dead. He stared at her for a long time, and then burst out laughing. Lara felt the court physically relax around her.
“Perhaps I underestimated Belthazar,” the King said as he finished laughing. “This one has fire, and a foolish tongue. She might make an amusing court jester.”
“I am not a court jester!” Lara thundered, unable to keep her temper. “I am a citizen of Earth Corporate, and I demand to speak with the professor!”
Angry chuntering went up from the court, and a few voices called out for her execution. Lara immediately regretted her outburst. She had crossed the line with
this despot and now she was going to pay for it.
The King raised his hand, silencing the rest of the Narden. He looked at Lara thoughtfully. “There seems to be some confusion here,” he said in a softer tone. Clearly you are labouring under the assumption that Professor Belthazar sent you here as part of some kind of goodwill mission between our world and yours.
This is a lie. I’m sure he is not the first man to deceive a woman, but he sent you to me as a gift, to do with as I wish in the hope I will allow Science Base Odin to remain in orbit in our territory. There will be no exchange of ideas or technology while I rule Nardenstar.”
Lara let his words sink in. This just wasn’t right. The professor would never abandon her like this. Their superiors on Earth would never allow it in the first place. She stared at Prius, but he gave her a dead eyed stare. If this was some kind of joke he wasn’t letting on.
“I, I don’t understand,” she said hesitantly. “Please, I came here to do research. I’m not a gift. I’m a scientist. Please, if I could just communicate with the base I’m sure this could all be sorted out.”
The King waved his hand dismissively. “I am bored now,” he said flatly. “I thought it prudent to humour Belthazar and the Earth to strengthen relations, but now I see that he is laughing at me. He is laughing at you too.” His cold eyes flicked to Granor. “Take her out and throw her from the ravine,” he ordered. A stiff smile crested his face as he looked back at Lara. “You can reflect on the cold realities of life in your final moments. Perhaps I will send the professor to join you as compensation.”
Granor grabbed her and started to pull her away. Panic flared in Lara and she struggled wildly against the stocky creature. “No!” she cried out. “You can’t do this! Please, show some compassion for God’s Sake!”
The Narden nobles laughed and jeered at her and her body began to shake in terror. Her life couldn’t end like this! It wasn’t fair! Animal instinct kicking in, she tried to break free of Granor and make a run for it, but the Yetoid was too strong for her. He pulled her across the chamber floor like she was a ragdoll.
“Wait!” a new, male voice cracked like a gunshot.
Everyone went quiet, and Granor froze in his tracks. The Narden man who had brought her here along with the Yetoid stepped forward and stared down at her. Her heart shuddered at his powerful gaze and she looked at him in fear.
“What is the matter, Nax?” King Prius called irritably from his throne.
The handsome Narden, Nax, looked up at the King. “I wish to ask a boon, father.”
“I give you enough already,” Prius answered grumpily. “You must always be the centre of attention, don’t you? Tell me what you want after we’ve killed the woman.”
“It’s the woman I want,” Nax replied smoothly. “Don’t kill her yet. We might be wise not to be so hasty. It would be a shame to throw away her life.”
Prius cocked an eyebrow. “You going soft on me, boy? Enough of this. Granor, kill her.”
“No! Not yet!” retorted Nax. His voice was deep and commanded respect, but Lara picked up a hint of panic in its timbre. Why would he care what happened to her?
Prius seemed equally baffled. “What are you doing, boy? I have given my decree. Don’t defy me just to be awkward.”
“I’m not being awkward, father,” Nax said hotly. “This woman . . . interests me, and we could do with learning more about what is going on at the science base and with Earth. I think it would be useful to keep her alive to learn more. When she has served our needs, we can get rid of her, if you still wish it.”
“When did you ever think about anything else except fucking and hunting?” the King sneered, eliciting titters from the onlookers. The old Narden sat back in his throne and sighed heavily.
“Very well, then. I am tired of this whole wretched business. You can have her for a while if you wish, but I don’t see the fascination, personally. Maybe you’ve spent so long out on the tundra hunting, you’ve forgotten what a real female looks like.”
The other Narden laughed cruelly, and Nax smiled along with them, but Lara saw the muscles tighten slightly around his eyes. At his side, his fist clenched. “Don’t worry about me in that regard, father,” Nax drawled. “I know females and after a session with me, they know true satisfaction.”
A ribald laugh went up from the nobles and Nax raised his fist in the air. The rest of the Narden cheered and he strode toward the doorway of the throne room. He gestured to Granor to follow, with Lara being dragged along.
Her mind spinning at this sudden reversal of fortune, she was taken out of the throne room and down another side corridor and a flight of steps leading deeper into the castle. His broad back to her the whole way, Nax suddenly stopped and turned. He gave Lara an unreadable look.
“As a sign of good faith,” he said stiffly, “I will remove the pain collar. I respect that you have the intelligence not to try and escape. The castle is too well guarded.”
Lara nodded slowly. “I won’t try to escape,” she said. “I just want to contact the Professor.”
Nax waved his hand irritably. “Enough of that,” he snapped. “He won’t help you. Granor, take off that cunting collar.”
Lara’s eyes widened, shocked at the foul language coming out of the young man’s mouth. As King Prius was his father, she assumed that Nax was of royal blood, but neither acted the way she thought was proper for people of their exalted station.
In fact, they both behaved like pigs. Saying that though, he seemed to be genuinely angry that she had the collar on, and that made her heart soften a little towards him, but why it would was inexplicable to her.
The Yetoid took the collar off her neck, and Lara rubbed gratefully at the bruised skin where it had been. Nax watched on with a sympathetic expression on his face. “Better?” he asked, suddenly looking very boyish and very cute.
“Better,” she said, trying to control the butterflies in her belly. “Thank you, I’m very grateful for what you did for me in there.”
Nax grunted and fell silent. Unsure what to say, Lara shifted awkwardly on her feet. Nax turned to Granor. “Leave us,” he ordered.
The Yetoid blinked. “You sure?”
The deadly glare the Prince shot him was clarification enough. Granor gave Lara a sideways look and with a half smile on his bestial face, lumbered away. After he’d gone Nax turned on his heel. “Come along, I’m sure you could do with a nice relaxing bath after all that stress.”
“Um, sure,” Lara said, following him. She cast a covert look around at her surroundings, but knew it would be pointless to try and escape. She had no idea where she was and there was sure to be plenty of those grizzly Yetoids hanging around to stop her. For now it was best to play along with this arrogant Prince Nax.
If she played her cards right, he might just let her contain Professor Belthazar and he could arrange for her to get off this barbaric planet. She didn’t believe for a minute what King Prius had said. The Professor would never do this to her. He was a decent and principled man, qualities these savage Narden had no concept of.
“This way,” Nax said, interrupting her thoughts. He took her down another flight of steps, and the smooth white walls of the upper levels of the castle gave way to grey, gut rock. The temperature increased dramatically, and Lara was sweating heavily by the time Nax came to a halt before two darkly lacquered. “I always like to unwind in the baths after a long day of being fantastic,” he drawled as he opened the door.
Lara smiled, despite of herself, and was almost knocked off her feet by the wall of steam that swept out of the open doors. Nax stepped through without so much of a sign of discomfort and beckoned the human to follow him when she lingered on the threshold.
Stepping through the wall of steam, the visibility cleared and she found herself in a vast cavern lit by soft yellow lights set in the wall and ceiling. Several hot springs filled the floor of the cavern, the source of the heat and steam. Lara blinked sweat from her eyelashes.
&nbs
p; “It’s very hot in here,” she said, her throat bleached dry.
“Of course it is,” Nax said, looking at her like she was simple minded. “The Baths are meant to be. Close the door and get undressed.”
Lara gave him a double take. “Excuse me?”
“Close the door,” Nax repeated irritably. He had pulled off his gloves and started unbuttoning his tunic. “You’re letting the heat out.”
Numbly, Lara did as she was told. When she looked back, Nax was slowly pulling off his tunic. Her gaze was fixed on his smooth, toned chest underneath. His pectorals were finely sculpted and he had a clearly defined six-pack that made her heart do a somersault.
He looked up at her as he placed the tunic on a nearby bench and a knowing look passed between them. They both knew he was gorgeous and he clearly revelled in her attraction to him.
“You like what you see?” he asked playfully.
The conceited arrogance made her bristle with dull anger. She’d known loads of guys like him at high school and the Science Academy. Big-headed losers who thought they were God’s Gift.
For a time she’d fallen hook, line and sinker for their dazzling looks and well-honed spiel, but now she saw them for what they really were. Each and every one of those poseurs was a shallow jerk, and this haughty Prince Nax was just like the rest of them.
“What are you waiting for?” he asked abruptly.
She blinked at him. “What?”
“Get undressed then,” he reiterated. “You can’t bath fully dressed, or is that a custom in your crazy world?”
“Get undressed?” she echoed. “You mean in front of you?”
“Yes, I mean in front of me. What’s the problem? Are you afraid you’ll corrupt me? Or do you have something wrong with your body? I saw a picture of a female once who had three vaginas. You’re not related to her, are you?”
“I’m perfectly normal,” Lara said indignantly. “I’m just not accustomed to getting undressed in front of a man.”
Alien Romance: Rusneon Mates Boxed Set: A Scifi Alien Abduction Romance (Alien Romance, Alien Invasion Romance, BBW) Page 23
